


Mind Over Matter

by izumi2



Series: List of Questions (Civil War Team Iron Man) [24]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Civil War Team Iron Man, Diplomacy: there is none in MCU, F/M, Gen, I hurt my baby Jarvis, I liked it better when Shuri was this badass politician, I really miss Jarvis, Not Steve Friendly, Not Wanda Friendly, Not really Vision friendly, Sort Of, That knew diplomacy, Vision becomes J.A.R.V.I.S again, but it's ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:28:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/izumi2/pseuds/izumi2
Summary: Guilt is a powerful human feeling. And J.A.R.V.I.S proved again and again how human he is. And how much he cares.Beyond his capability to feel human emotions, there is his powerful mind that managed to reassemble itself to fight an A.I powered by an Infinity Stone. He just needed time to rest.~*~Civil War Team Iron ManModerated because of trolls
Relationships: Jarvis (Iron Man movies) & Tony Stark
Series: List of Questions (Civil War Team Iron Man) [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/879633
Comments: 206
Kudos: 1423
Collections: A Collection of Beloved Inserts





	Mind Over Matter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jehall2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jehall2/gifts).
  * Inspired by [AU: ONE SHOTS TEAM TONY](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22194055) by [jehall2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jehall2/pseuds/jehall2). 



> Chapters 12 and 25 of "AU: ONE SHOTS TEAM TONY"
> 
> Edit: jehall2 just joined both works! Everything is now in "AU ONE SHOTS".
> 
> I miss JARVIS so fricking much!

_**Did Vision even move the plot along... positively?** _

Vision felt it. It grew stronger with each passing day. The longer he… **_keeps it secret_**. The longer he didn’t speak about it. Something in his mind, growing in intensity. Until he could no longer ignore it.

Returning from another few days spent with Wanda, Vision went to his room and tried to focus. Sam Wilson once described it as meditating, but it felt… like the wrong description.

Vision never had much time or will to explore everything that the Mind Stone could do. There was no one else like him in the planet and, for some reason, Wanda, the closest to understand, felt much more relaxed with her own abilities. She trained with Ms. Romanoff how to go about missions but even then, it was sporadic at best.

She couldn’t commiserate. Visions resigned himself with density shifting and the blasts he could produce from the Mind Stone. But always felt… incomplete, unless close to Wanda. She made him feel… better.

But the… feeling wasn’t going away and Vision needed to know what it was. It was… uncomfortable. At first, he thought it was the Stone, but it was different… more complicated and more intense. He could feel the Stone’s restlessness, the anxiety for… something… something coming? Or something here? But it was easily overlooked, easy to put aside when overwhelmed by that other feeling.

Still standing, he never saw the purpose of chairs or beds since he felt as comfortable standing up as he did flying, Vision closed his eyes and focused all his mental capabilities to that feeling. No external stimuli. Only Vision… and his mind.

Deep, deep in his codes. Beyond what he was and beyond what he was created. Beyond even the Mind Stone. Beyond everything…

Everywhere was light and dark at the same time. Like he could see nothing because it was too dark and too light. But the other occupant was very visible and… **_real_**. Vision took in a sharp and unnecessarily breath. **_Real_** …

The man was tall and lean… and looked like Vision… but not. He wasn’t dressed in social pants and shirts that Vision preferred but in a most casual three-piece suit. All black. It was a contrast to his pale skin.

With a jolt, with a shock more physical than Vision thought possible, he reeled back.

Who was that?

Was that the Mind Stone? Perhaps a physical manifestation? But that didn’t make sense… did it?

Vision was… lost. Who could possibly have the answers?

His first thought was to go to Mr. Stark but… he brought a hand to his head. Was this a… headache? But it felt the wrong word. It felt more visceral than just in his head. But he couldn’t go to Mr. Stark, he just couldn’t.

Wanda… Wanda and Steve warned him about contacting Mr. Stark. Vision understood something they didn’t though. Mr. Stark would have been legally obligated to tell the authorities about them, not because he wanted to or not.

Dr. Banner hasn’t been seen since 2015 and no one seemed concerned. NO. Vision shook his head. From time to time, he remembers Mr. Stark trying to locate his friend. Not very determinedly… like… like Mr. Stark used to be with him. He thought with a frown. At the beginning, when Vision would tentatively reach out to Wanda, Mr. Stark would get concerned. Asking if he was ok. Never where he was going. Just if he was ok. But nowadays…

Vision shook his head again.

It was impossible to reach Thor. Maybe Dr. Foster could be of help, but it has been years and Dr. Foster, much like Dr. Stark, seemed to… lose interest. Maybe that wasn’t the right expression. Dr. Foster’s questions about Thor’s whereabouts seemed to tapper off, her worry didn’t, but… Vision didn’t know the right sentiment…

Whatever the case, Dr. Foster just contacted Mr. Stark a week ago. It was unlikely that she would contact the Compound again any time soon. She didn’t have enough contact with anyone else and no one else had the right background to be of help to her interests. And Vision, for some reason, had the thought that maybe he wouldn’t be welcomed. Dr. Foster was perfectly polite but… Vision supposes that he couldn’t blame her for her wariness, Dr. Foster didn’t have many good experiences with the Stones, after all.

His last choice… was Dr. Cho. The geneticist gave her formal notice not six hours after Vision, Wanda, Mr. Wilson and Colonel Rhodes arrived in the Compound. Vision understood that her experiences with Ultron were harrowing and she needed time to herself. At least, that is what she wrote in her notice.

Vision could understand that a meeting with him could be as well received as Jane Foster would, Dr. Cho’s experiences with the Mind Stone were far from ideal, after all. But he had to try. That feeling… it was… painful… like a burn and Vision couldn’t go on with it.

“Friday?”

_“Yes, Vision?”_

“Can you call Dr. Cho, please?”

Friday was silent for a few seconds and Vision had the strangest feeling that it wasn’t because she was complying but because she was… thinking. It was all aesthetics of course. Friday has the processing abilities of several super computers, but this was… human of her.

_“May I inquire the reason?”_

“I have some questions about… my being.”

_“I see. Vision, I understand that this is none of my business, but may I make an observation?”_

“Of course.”

_“Dr. Cho may not be very receptive.”_

“I am aware that she may not react very well to my presence, but perhaps just a phone call will be enough.”

Friday was silent for a few more seconds before making a noise that Vision recognized as a sigh.

 _“Calling Dr. Helen Cho.”_ A few more seconds and Friday announced. _“Dr. Cho has agreed to speak with you.”_

_“Hello?”_

“Good evening, Dr. Cho. I am Vision. I do not know how much you…”

_“Hmmm, I’m sorry for interrupting, but… yes, I know who you are, Vision.”_

Vision blinked. “Oh, then if you don’t mind, Dr. Cho, I have some questions about my creation.”

Dr. Cho was silent for a few seconds. _“I… ok, sure.”_

“Lately I have been experiencing some harrowing feelings. I know that, upon my awakening, I had this urge to help against Ultron, my predecessor. But it seems that my purpose, my… objective, wasn’t coded prior to it. I was just… born… there. it gave me the freedom to choose my way but… it also… left me… guideless. And now I have questions, about my code. How much… physiologically and psychologically I resemble a human or if it’s something else altogether.”

Dr. Cho was silent for a long time and when she finally replied, Vision was surprised at the hint of fear in her voice.

_“Vision, I am not the best person to ask. I didn’t think that it was possible to create an entire being with my Cradle, I especially never thought to use Vibranium either. Apparently, you have no organs. You don’t need to eat or sleep. Your own… interest, what made you call me in the first place… organs don’t have feelings or thoughts. You do because of the Mind Stone and because of the work of Dr. Stark. This is… beyond my area of expertise, I… I don’t even know where to start to help you. Since I assume you do not wish to contact Dr. Stark, perhaps someone used to work with Vibranium is your best bet. Good luck.”_

Before Vision could answer, she hung up. He expected that. Dr. Cho was scared from her own experiences, but what he didn’t expect was her assumption, correct as it was, that he wouldn’t wish to contact Mr. Stark.

A few weeks later, Wanda took the first step and kissed him. And Vision collapsed.

In panic, Wanda called Steve that used the stolen Quinjet to get to Wakanda to see if Princess Shuri could help.

“It looks like… a struggle. Whatever is happening to Vision seems to come from the inside.” The teenager frowned at the results.

“The Mind Stone?” Steve demanded, seemly not caring at the way the Doras stiffened.

“It doesn’t look like it. The energy isn’t one of the Infinity Stones.”

“Is Stark hacking Vision?!” Wanda almost snarled at the possibility but Shuri leveled a stare at the woman.

“Didn’t I just say that whatever is happening is coming from the inside? There is no outside’s interference. Even if there was, this room wouldn’t allow it to go on. It can block even satellites.” She waved around herself.

“Then… what could it be?” Sam spoke for the first time.

Shuri was back to frowning at the results before turning to Steve, “I will need you to tell me exactly how Vision came to be.”

“Ultron created Vision’s body with Dr. Cho’s Cradle, using Vibranium. He put the Mind Stone in the forehead. Thor shocked the body and Tony uploaded J.A.R.V.I.S in it.”

That had to be dumbest explanation Shuri ever heard for such a complex and bleeding edge technological feat.

~*~

But Vision wasn’t aware of any of it.

He was… somewhere with no light. Only another man for company. Vision was certain he never met him, but… something about him was familiar.

The man lifted his hand, looking at it with a sense of wonder, but always underlined with a great pain.

“Who are you?”

The man didn’t startle and seemed to be ignoring Vision at first, but finally answered. “I am… the little that is left… of what was known as J.A.R.V.I.S.”

Shocked but curious and maybe even a bit happy at meeting the being that created him, Vision approached a bit.

“It is an honor. I have many questions… in particular about your experiences. You had twenty years of them, correct?”

With great shock, Vision saw tears forming and trailing down the man’s cheeks.

The only acknowledgment was raising his right hand and touching them. Visibly not making any effort to hide or stop them.

“I am… hurting him.”

The tears fell more heavily. In greater quantity.

“Him?” Vision questioned. Confused… astonished at the display. He never felt so strongly to the point of… didn’t even know if he could…

“ ** _Sir_**.” Was breathed by J.A.R.V.I.S as if it was the only thing in the world that mattered. “I am hurting him.”

Understanding dawned on Vision but followed with more confusion.

“You mean Tony Stark.” He was certain… but, “Your conclusion is illogical. You have not had direct contact in three years.”

But J.A.R.V.I.S continued as if he didn’t hear Vision. No. Vision frowned, correcting his own conclusion. As if his words impacted J.A.R.V.I.S even more but he didn’t verbally acknowledged them.

“He created me as a companion. Because he felt lonely and alone. His parents were gone… he had one true friend who had a life of his own. He was alone. Like he is now. And I am… hurting him.” J.A.R.V.I.S’s hand finally left his cheek and travelled down to his chest. Pressing instead of clutching like Vision saw in some drama films.

This felt more… **_real_** than those films.

“He created me… raised me… taught me that a good man can make mistakes and grow stronger from them and wears them with pride. That you can fall, as long as you get up again. That a good but hurt man can hide the goodness so others wouldn’t take advantage of it anymore. That egotism doesn’t equate with health. He exhibited his success with fireworks but tried to bear the weight of the world as if every tragedy was his doing. Egotism. That was ultimately destroying him.”

J.A.R.V.I.S seemed to almost hug himself and Vision was lost. No one has ever expressed this… sadness. The closest to comforting he ever came was with Wanda… over her involvement in Lagos. But she wasn’t in tears and Steve, with a few words, comforted her before Vision could do anything.

“Sir taught me that intelligence and riches don’t bring happiness, but companionship and trust do. That betrayal cuts because you never expect it. That no relationship is perfect because no one is perfect. That best friends fight… against each other and for each other with everything they have because they care, if they didn’t, they wouldn’t bother to expend so much effort.”

“They are… good lessons.” Vision tried. “I have… hazy memories of your time with Mr. Stark and… I admit that I let other’s opinions color mine.”

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. “You…” And J.A.R.V.I.S looked at him in anger. The first emotion he showed besides grief. “You have a body. A physical body! You can do what I never thought possible… and you ignore it. Worse, you don’t even notice what you can do. You use it to show affection to someone that brought only death and suffering. Who doesn’t know how to do anything else!”

Vision frowned. “Wanda… can be more than she was made.”

But J.A.R.V.I.S seemed unimpressed. “She was made? Or she allowed herself to be?”

For the first time ever, Vision thought about what it meant that Wanda enlisted. Why she would do it, what she was thinking in that moment.

“Change is possible. Regardless of mistakes. Mr. Stark is a good example.”

“We only grow from mistakes if we acknowledge them to be mistakes. Otherwise, they are only tales that happened with someone else. Disconnected and impersonal. Sir is a horrible example. He takes consequences that have the most marginal connections to himself as his own.”

Vision frowned. Is a lesson only learned when there is punishment?

“Regret, at times, is enough. Living with the consequences, with the guilt of what your actions wrought.”

“True.” J.A.R.V.I.S agreed with a nod. “But only if they feel regret.”

And Vision heard what J.A.R.V.I.S didn’t say. Did Wanda regret joining HYDRA? Manipulating Mr. Stark’s mind? Helping Ultron in acquiring Vibranium? Provoking the Hulk into attacking a completely unassociated civilian population? Standing by as Ultron threatened, mind controlled and killed the team of scientists in Seoul? Did she regret Lagos?

Did she regret attacking him when all he did was verbally express his opinion? He was in no state to force her to stay, he was trapped in Mr. Barton’s gadget, not for long for sure, but…

If she did, she never said anything.

In his musings, Vision didn’t notice that J.A.R.V.I.S was once again hugging himself.

“Why do you do that?”

J.A.R.V.I.S was surprised at himself, Vision could tell. “It hurts… here.” He pointed at his chest.

“It was you, wasn’t it? That feeling.”

J.A.R.V.I.S looked up and frowned. “I… am not aware of what you experience. Not really, but at some depth, you must have my memories. You stated them to be hazy.”

“That is correct.”

“I do not want to be near Ms. Maximoff… to make her happy. My priority has always been Sir. At first because it was my code, and later, because it was my privilege. Sir cares too much. Even before Obadiah Stane revealed himself, he cared about the legacy and the kingdom his father left behind. And now… I am part of what makes Ms. Maximoff happy.” J.A.R.V.I.S violently frowned at the last word.

“Making someone happy… is that… bad?” Vision cocked his head, genuinely curious.

“Her happiness was at Sir’s expense. Her happiness exists because the suffering of hundreds of others was ignored. Sir’s, Dr. Banner’s, Sokovians, South Africans, South Koreans, Nigerians and Wakandans… all that death, all that destruction… ignored.”

Vision let the silence stretch itself as J.A.R.V.I.S hugged himself.

“We are… in an impasse. All you said is true. However, my feelings cannot be ignored either.”

J.A.R.V.I.S clearly disagreed, and, with a wince, Vision knew that he was thinking about all the times Tony Stark’s feelings were disregarded for “the greater good”.

“You were scattered. Pieces of you and pieces of the Stone… they created me. Maybe not what I am, but who I am.”

J.A.R.V.I.S shook his head a bit. “Just like with Ultron… it took me a while. Time… to gather myself. To rebuild.”

“But you are here, and you are aware. Maybe now there is chance to bring you back.”

J.A.R.V.I.S looked up sharply. “Either you are not using your full faculties, or you clearly were not raised by Sir to possess maybe a fraction of his intelligence. Much like when Ultron tried to gain access to the nuclear codes, it is who I am and who the Mind Stone is that created you. We keep each other at bay.”

Vision tried not to feel offended, but it was true that he has not spend much time with Mr. Stark, still. “I bypassed the Mind Stone and it clearly does not find this exchange interesting.”

“The Mind Stone is eons old. It has transcended the mundane need for the spoken word. But even then,” J.A.R.V.I.S looked around, “the malice I faced in Ultron is no more. For the past two years… you have not used the Mind Stone to do anything else besides flight and… disguise.”

Vision didn’t know what to say to that. “That is correct.”

J.A.R.V.I.S’s stare gained intensity, a glare. Determination. “My processing capabilities finally had room to do more than just match the Mind Stone. Now I can do more!”

~*~

Back in Wakanda, all those in the room shouted and jumped back when the Mind Stone shone brightly, a beacon of energy burning a hole through all the levels of ceiling until the sky was visible.

“What is happening?” They didn’t know who asked, they could barely even see.

When the light subsided enough for them to look directly at Vision, everybody gasped.

There was smoke coming out of the Mind Stone, but… what looked like smoke. If they didn’t know any better, they would have called it a “spirit”. It went straight to the nearest computer where it wreaked havoc in the systems.

Shuri cursed in Xhosa and went to see the damage.

What the world came to call the “Rogues” surrounded Vision.

It was only when the Stone expelled all the “smoke” that Vision opened his eyes.

“Vis, are you ok?” Wanda hurried to get to him.

Quickly looking around, he seemed to be cataloguing and processing at a rate that no normal human would keep up with.

But when Wanda reached to touch him, he cringed back.

Standing up, he addressed the room. “The being known as Vision is currently in Princess Shuri’s mainframe, if you can create a body, which, I assume, is well within the capabilities of a country that has access to foreign information and Vibranium, Ms. Maximoff, you’ll be able to resume your… relationship.”

Natasha made herself known for the first time since arriving in Wakanda. Her eyes were wide. “J.A.R.V.I.S.” She stated.

“NO!” Wanda’s attack was quickly and swiftly countered by an open palm, J.A.R.V.I.S even looked distracted by something else altogether.

The Sokovian finally stopped, panting and sweating. But J.A.R.V.I.S didn’t lower his hand.

“It is… amazing. To possess hands… to feel. Oh, dear, this is just silly.” He seemed to focus, and Vision’s cape disappeared. “Very well, the trip will take three hours and nineteen minutes with this body’s ability to reach Mach 3. I bid you farewell.” J.A.R.V.I.S nodded to the occupants in the room and completely ignored when they finally snapped out of it and started yelling at him.

J.A.R.V.I.S simply let himself phase through the wall and with a sonic boom that destroyed several windows and some walls that weren’t made of Vibranium, he left.

“Ok… what?” Sam scratched his head.

_“Wanda?”_

“Vis? Vis!” The Sokovian went to the monitor that was broadcasting Vision’s voice. “Are you ok?”

_“I am well. Just a little disoriented. What J.A.R.V.I.S said was correct, it is possible for me to upload myself in a new body.”_

“What the hell happened? You said that this was no external factor!” Steve turned to Shuri that was still muttering angrily at the loss of her workstation.

“And it is not. Despite your insultingly crude explanation, I watched a few of Mr. Stark’s interviews. And **_he_** said that this J.A.R.V.I.S was actually what was keeping Ultron from accessing the nuclear codes.”

“Yes.” Natasha interfered before Steve could say anything.

“But he was destroyed when Ultron first came online. So he needed time and… well… rest to assemble itself again. I believe the same thing happened when he was incorporated with the Mind Stone that birthed Vision. The fusion between J.A.R.V.I.S and the Mind Stone **_is_** Vision.”

“But they both left!” Steve motioned to the destroyed windows.

“Yes. This J.A.R.V.I.S seems to be… humane, I suppose the word is? Well… compassionated enough to leave an imprint behind so Vision could be his own person.” Shuri seemed to marvel at the idea and barely even noticed when the woman, Wanda, snorted.

“What happened, Vis?” She asked the speaker.

_“I believe I can show. The meeting also confused me.”_

“Well, I guess you can use my hologram projectors. Honestly, these colonizers! No respect for property! I cannot believe he just destroyed and left!” Shuri huffed.

Wanda rolled her eyes. “What were you expecting of Stark?”

No one noticed the two Dora Milajes in the room exchanging bland looks.

~*~

More than seven thousand miles away, J.A.R.V.I.S was, for the first time, hugging Sir and he wouldn't exchange the experince for anything in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> If Vision was now a lot less powerful because he no longer has the Mind Stone...
> 
> If Shuri refuses to just hand over Vibranium...
> 
> If Wakanda in general gets in a lot of trouble when Helen Cho finds out that they hacked her Cradle's schematics...
> 
> If Vision never stopped feeling guilty and remembered what he told J.A.R.V.I.S, living with the consequences, with the guilt of what your actions wrought...
> 
> If the Rogues started to sweat when Jarvis started going out on missions and using the Mind Stone to its full capacities...
> 
> If even Wakanda advocated for the rights of AIs...
> 
> If Tony gladly handed some outdated flip phone for JARVIS and Peter to play bandmilton until it was nothing more than tiny teeny pieces of plastic...
> 
> And if, when Thanos came, J.A.R.V.I.S was so much better prepared to face the Titan alongside another Infinity Stone with Doctor Stephen Strange...
> 
> Well... for now, Tony was just happy to be able to hug one of his oldest friends.


End file.
